Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday that American weapons – not diplomatic pressure – are the key to forcing Russian leader Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table, even if those weapons are never used.

In an interview with Newsmax in Kyiv, Zelensky praised US President Donald Trump’s decision to rearm Ukraine and said Moscow only responds to strength.

“President Trump and all of America and Europe know that we want peace and an end to the war,” Zelensky said. “But the Russians understand only force. So, only strong sanctions and only strong weapons. We are ready for action, for a demonstration of force.”

Zelensky acknowledged that Ukraine had once sought a major weapons deal from the US before Trump’s second term but was unsuccessful.

“I remember that we had a powerful deterrence package before President Trump became president. I wanted America to sell us such a package. But it was not done,” he said.

“A demonstration of strength forces Putin to the negotiating table. It is not a fact that we will have to use this force, but if Russia knows about its existence, it is already a strong argument for ending the war.”

Zelensky added that Putin fears the United States, pointing to a recent visit by US envoy Keith Kellogg, which coincided with a pause in Russian missile attacks.

“General Kellogg arrived in Ukraine, and there were no massive bombings for two nights in a row,” Zelensky said. “Even people are already joking about that, saying that we should give General Kellogg a Ukrainian passport and leave him here, and that Americans should come to us more often – because then Russia would bomb less.”

Zelensky said this shows Putin’s strategy is to intimidate and blackmail, not escalate fully.

“This means one thing: Putin is afraid of America. I’ve been saying this all along, and also to the [US] president. Anyway, Putin is afraid of America, and I’m sure of it.”

On July 14, Trump announced that the US and its NATO allies had agreed to a deal under which American weapons would be sent to Ukraine, with alliance members covering the cost. The next day, he said missiles for Ukraine’s Patriot systems were already being shipped from Germany.

He also gave Russia a 50-day deadline to end the war, warning of “very severe tariffs” if it does not comply.

Russia quickly rejected Trump’s ultimatum. “Any attempts to make demands, especially ultimatums, are unacceptable to us,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Tuesday.

Despite his tough talk, Trump has reportedly cooled on the idea of providing Ukraine with long-range missiles capable of hitting targets deep inside Russian territory – a move some in Kyiv and Washington say is necessary to pressure the Kremlin.